Protect Your Locks With These Hairstyles Perfect When You’re on The Move

Protect Your Locks With These Hairstyles Perfect When You’re on The Move

Haircare, it appears, presents a majorbarrier for women when it comesto exercise. A recent US studyfound that 40 per cent of African-Americanwomen avoid exercise in order to protecttheir locks. These women are right to beconcerned, and so should you! Sweat createsa salt build-up on the hair and scalp leavingit dry and brittle, and wearing tight updohairstyles during exercise can put extrapressure on your roots, leaving hair susceptibleto falling out, says H&F’s hair and make-upartist Claire Portman. Don’t let it put you off,though. ‘I’d recommend loose braided stylesto protect your hair during a workout – theypull less on your roots and create less frictionon the hair’s cuticle,’ she says. Try these ideas.

Protect Your Locks With These Hairstyles Perfect When You’re on The Move Photo Gallery

EASY

BRAIDED BUNTurn your head upside-down and brush yourhair forward. Gather it around the crown ofyour head and secure with a metal-free hairtie to prevent unnecessary friction. Plaitthe ponytail by splitting the hair into threesections. Cross the outside sections over themiddle piece in turn until you reach the endof your hair. Holding the end of your plait,twist it around the crown of your head tomake a bun shape. Secure with anothersnag-free band or hairpins.

INTERMEDIATE FRENCH TWIST PONY

Brush your hair back, so it’s away from yourface. Take a 5cm section of hair at the centreof your forehead and split into three sections.Take the left section under the centrepieceso it now lies in the centre. Next, take theright section under the centrepiece until itlies in the centre. Keep doing this, taking extrahair with each piece until all the hair on thetop of your head is in the plait. Tie it at thecentre of your head with a snag-free band,keeping the ends free. Finish by tying yourloose hair to the plait with another band.

ADVANCED SIDE PLAIT

Brush all of your hair over to your leftshoulder. Take a 5cm piece of hair at thecentre of your forehead and split this intothree pieces. Start plaiting your hair asbefore, keeping one side close to yourhairline. When you reach below your left ear,join this smaller plait to the rest of your hairto create a larger plait hanging over your leftshoulder. This style takes a bit of practicebut you’ll soon get the hang of it! For shorterhair lengths, give yourself a centre partingand do this on both sides.

Damage limitation

Prevent hair breakages during your workout with these must-haves.

Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence Conditioning Spray

Spritz your hair with this conditioning treatment before each workout to protect andmoisturise thin and brittle hair.

Sweaty Betty Spiral Hair Toggles

These snag-free and stretchy hair toggles are perfect for keeping hair under control withoutcreating friction where the cuticle can break.

Bumble & Bumble Mending Complex

Treat brittle hair to this strengthening leave-in conditioner. It strengthens the cuticle, improving elasticity of your hair, making it more resilient to styling and being manhandled during exercise.